Moline, April 6, 2026, 08:09 CDT.
- Deere and Tarter USA rolled out 10- and 12-foot Frontier flex-wing rotary cutters in Liberty, Kentucky, and the equipment is now on the market.
- Farmers are cutting back on expensive tractors and combines, but they’re still picking up cheaper implements, judging by recent North American farm shows, Reuters reports.
- Deere shares were recently quoted at $575.71. A Sunday note from Simply Wall St suggested the stock could still climb, despite its valuation multiple running higher than sector peers.
Deere & Co. landed back under the valuation microscope Monday, after an investor note over the weekend flagged its new Tarter USA partnership as a possible boost for the shares. The focus: a batch of Frontier flex-wing rotary cutters—mowing attachments built in Kentucky and aimed at grass and brush clearing—just as farmers are tightening up on purchases of larger equipment.
North American farmers have started pulling back on major equipment buys, squeezed by persistent low crop prices, stubbornly high input costs, and tariffs that have driven machinery prices higher. “They might not buy the million-dollar combine, but they’ll buy a $100,000 implement,” Chad Jones at Degelman Industries said to Reuters last week. Reuters
Deere and Tarter plan to roll out American-made Frontier cutters, offering 10- and 12-foot models built at Tarter’s Liberty, Kentucky plant. The operation will tap laser cutting, robotic fabrication, and integrated welding systems. According to Agriculture.com, the FC5010 is built for tractors with 40-65 horsepower, while the FC5012 fits machines in the 50-90 horsepower range. Both cutters are already on the market.
Tarter reported that first-year dealer orders have already topped expectations, with the initiative bringing 26 new jobs to Kentucky. John Doyle, partnered products manager at Deere, said the rollout is “delivering a product that meets the demands of today’s operators.” On Tarter’s side, CEO Stephen Frazier described the launch as one more step in “our continued investment in innovation, our people, and our communities.” PR Newswire
Deere shares most recently showed at $575.71, a gain of roughly 0.8% from the prior close. On Sunday, Simply Wall St estimated Deere’s fair value at $663.51 per share—well above the current price—but pointed out the stock’s 32.3 price-to-earnings ratio. That’s higher than both the U.S. machinery industry’s 26.2 and peers’ 24.2.
Deere’s given shareholders a few reasons to keep their heads up despite the slump. Back in February, the Moline, Illinois company bumped its 2026 net income outlook to a range of $4.5 billion to $5 billion following a first-quarter beat. CEO John May called 2026 “the bottom of the current cycle.” Oppenheimer’s Kristen Owen flagged that lean inventory levels could provide some upside as dealer stockpiles return to normal. Reuters
Competitors aren’t taking any big swings. Back in February, CNH Industrial cautioned that retail demand might slip roughly 5% in 2026. AGCO, for its part, is only looking for sales just slightly ahead of its 2025 numbers—and it’s still flagging tariff shifts as a risk to its guidance.
Still, Deere faces the same headwinds challenging the rest of the industry. Back in February, the company flagged a $1.2 billion pre-tax tariff cost expected in 2026. Then on April 3, Reuters reported that U.S. tractor and combine sales tumbled by 30% to 40% in March. Equipment Manufacturers Association’s Kip Eideberg called the mood a shift to “purchasing behavior shifting from wants to needs.” Reuters
At this stage, the Tarter deal signals Deere is zeroing in on pockets of farm spending that haven’t dried up, rather than calling an end to the wider machinery slowdown. Deere seems to be angling for those lower-ticket, more utilitarian buys—things growers pick up when upgrading a combine isn’t happening.
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